Champion
by Parasol Waddle Dee
Summary: Red challenges the Champion of the Pokemon League.


A cool draft washes over you as you step through the sliding double doors into a grand arena. Looking back into the previous room, Lance only nods at you solemnly, before he vanishes from your sight as the doors close automatically. Slowly, you turn around and cast your gaze over the massive arena, taking in your surroundings.

A six foot wall surrounds the arena, thick concrete by the looks of it, with rows upon rows of empty bleachers stacked beyond them, all around the coliseum. The ceiling of the champion arena is withdrawn, revealing a cloudless blue sky with the hot sun beating down on the arena floor. The arena itself seems almost mundane, a layer of dirt that's packed tight with the occasional breeze stirring up a brief cloud of dust. A chalk outline is drawn on the rough floor of the arena, a large rectangle cut in half widthwise, with smaller boxes drawn outside either end. Silently, you step inside the nearer box, bringing your gaze to the young man sitting cross legged across the arena in the rectangle opposite of you.

He looks to be about your age, with a head of spiky auburn hair and pale skin, eyes closed tightly in deep thought. Sensing your presence, the boy plants his hands on the ground beside him, hoisting himself to his feet slowly, with deliberate movements, dusting his faded purple cargo pants off as he stands, opening his eyes to get a look at you. Dark brown eyes stare across the arena into yours, as the boy rubs his wrists lightly, before tugging at the collar of his black unbuttoned polo shirt, an arrogant smirk starting to appear on his face. You know his name even before he opens his mouth to speak.

Blue.

"I was wondering when you'd show up, Red." His words flow easily, as if they were practiced dozens of times in front of a mirror, with only the slightest hint of nervousness. "After all, you've followed me everywhere, haven't you?" The grin never seems to leave his face, even with his mouth open. He brushes a hand through his hair lightly, choosing his next words carefully. "You know, back when we started this whole journey in Pallet Town, I kinda knew it would end up like this."

You find yourself unconsciously reaching to your belt, tugging a pokeball from the holster. Blue recognizes this, and lets the hand fall from his head into the white pouch he keeps his pokeballs in with practiced ease. The same familiar motion as the last three times you battled him.

And won.

The smirk has faded now into a soft smile, as he looks at his feet and shakes his head. "Ready to go already, huh? You think it's that easy to challenge the Champion of the Pokemon League?" His expression goes cold as he looks up at you. "You don't get it, do you? I'm the Champion now. That means I'm the very best trainer there is. No one is better than me." His voice shakes lightly at the last sentence, as he closes his eyes to both regain his composure and choose his next words. You stand silently, unflinching, as you wait for him. He always releases his pokemon first. This time won't be any different. You have the patience to sit through his speech before the inevitable battle. Your inevitable victory.

A full minute passes before he opens his eyes again. His voice is different now. The arrogance has vanished, replaced by a tone that can only be described as a mixture of envy and loathing. "Charmander... was supposed to be my pokemon." He paused again, reflecting. You recall that Professor Oak had let you choose the pokemon you desired on the day you started your journey before Blue, and you had picked Charmander. Blue had taken Squirtle, with no shortage of complaints. It was a good decision, though. Charmander, later Charizard, had won you countless battles. Including several against Blue.

"I knew that Charmander long before you did." His voice breaks your train of thought, your attention once again focused on your rival. "Almost a whole year. Gramps was going to let me take him on my journey. But you took him from me." You wonder why Blue would bring something so petty up from the past. After all, he seemed to get along with his Blastoise just fine. He'd known him just as long as Charmander. "And then you took my first win away, too. After I had to settle for my second choice."

His hands are at his sides now, thumbs resting on his belt. Blue is looking you dead in the eye from across the arena floor as he continues his speech, with you as his silent audience. He presses his lips tightly together, closing his eyes for slightly longer than a blink before continuing. "But you know what? That never mattered. Because I was always ahead of you." He laughs softly, different from his usual arrogant chuckle, as if he'd been told an unfunny joke at a party and didn't want to offend the person who told it.

"Even after you'd taken my friend and made me lose my first battle... I was okay with it." He turned his gaze skyward, shielding his eyes against the bright sun with one hand. "Because I knew no matter how hard you tried, you would never catch me. I was always further ahead than you. In badges, in pokemon caught, whatever. I was better." That grin is plastered across his face again. Now he looks like the one who had told the unfunny joke, eagerly awaiting a chorus of laughter.

"Hey, you know, I heard a lot about you while I was on my journey. How you'd been sweeping through all the gym leaders in the region, making it look easy." His words aren't lies. You recall never having to expend any particular effort against any of the gym leaders you fought. Except Brock.

You hated Brock.

Blue's speech doesn't halt for a second. "It wasn't easy for me, though. I had to work my ass off to get those badges. Even had to challenge Sabrina four times before I beat her, you know?" He's staring at you again. The smirk has faded. "But you... Everything's come so easy to you. Every pokemon you catch does whatever you want. Every trainer you fight plays by your rules. Every single thing you do is so FUCKING easy!"

You've never heard Blue swear before. Unless "Smell ya' later!" counts, though you highly doubt that it does.

His hands are balled into fists now. He's started yelling. The calm, practiced speech has disappeared. "Wherever you go, people trip over themselves to give you what you want! You think it's been that easy for me? I had to train every pokemon I have for weeks before they'd even listen to me! I had to bite, kick and claw my way through every battle! I've been to hell and back just to get where I am now! Do you know how hard I've worked to get here? No! You don't! Because you only ever think of yourself!

Blue's face is red as he stops yelling for a moment. His arms go limp and fall to his sides as he stares at his feet. "Do you know what it's like to always be compared to someone who waltzes along, doing everything you do twice as good with half the effort?"

The arena falls silent again for a minute. You are still holding your pokeball, idly twirling it in your hand as you wait for him to release his first pokemon.

Finally, Blue looks up at you. There are tears streaming down his face, and even as he pulls a pokeball from his pouch, he yells at you again. "You've taken a lot of things from me, Red. But I'm the Champion now. That means I'm the best." He clenches his teeth, and runs his thumb over the button on the front of the pokeball, winding up and tossing it into the arena.

"And I'm not going to let you take that from me!"


End file.
